This week your ASU National Negotiating Team (NNT), Doris Nykanen, Steph Keady and Joseph Mifsud from Sydney and Brett Whitehead from Melbourne, met with management and provided them a copy of your endorsed claims. The ASU has asked the company for additional information and at the next meeting we will present your claims in detail.
This means now is a really important time for you and your colleagues to get involved. Talk to everyone about the Enterprise Bargaining Agreement (EBA) negotiations, what you want to see changed, and give any of your colleagues who haven't yet joined a membership form or encourage them to join online at www.asu.asn.au/asujoin.
The technical stuff
The Fair Work Act requires Menzies to provide all employees who are to be covered by the new EBA with a letter outlining your rights, Menzies said they would do this on 30th April. Negotiators of EBAs are called "bargaining representatives." Members of the ASU do not have to appoint a bargaining representative – the ASU is automatically your bargaining representative - ASU delegates and officials are already at the table presenting your claims. If your colleagues think they can do it on their own, tell them we're much stronger together. Encourage them to join and be part of the ASU campaign instead!
Annual leave approval...quite an exceptional rule!
During the meeting, management stated that delays in annual leave approval, or the rejection of annual leave, especially for special occasions, was the "exception rather than the rule." Your bargaining team said the rule was getting annual leave is a problem and timely approval was really the exception!
We know that lots of Menzies members have had a lot of trouble getting leave approved, even with more than 12 months' notice! We'll be asking for your opinion and stories about rostering and leave issues soon.
What's next?
The next EBA meeting has been scheduled for 21st May. This is where we'll present your claims in detail. Keep an eye out for meetings in your workplace to ensure you have your say on the details we present to management.
Want more information?
If you want more information contact your local ASU organiser [download the full bulletin below for details].
Menzies Bulletin - 1 May 2014